First stand of the day?

canine · September 14, 2006, 09:51:16 PM

Which do you prefer ... Gettin to the first stand of the day before the crack of dawn or lettin the sun rise before gettin to your first stand site?

Here in central Ohio, the land is fairly open with rollin hills and woodlots. There are also alot of crop fields. When we hunt up my way we mostly wait till the sun is up good before hittin it. Not only for filmin issues but several times we have run coyotes out of fields heading in to stands to early. We have also seen the last few years that between 11 and 3 in the afternoon have been our better kill times as it is up here.

So how does it work in your territories? And hunting styles?

JD

FinsnFur · September 14, 2006, 10:08:49 PM

Rick and I always attempt to get out just before light, but it very rarely works out that way.

And as hind sight will always be 20/20, most of the time after the first stand of day...and some just missed action we'll go, "

next time were coming out before day light".

We have better luck generally before noon almost any day during the winter. By 10:00 or 11:00 things are drastically slowing down, my butts dragging, I have to crap and my cold brittle fingers have prematurely fired the rifle ruining two stands

Ok....maybe it's not that bad.

We use a lot of vocalizations when we hunt, and very seldom get replies during the day. At night...

now they wanna gab a while.

Brad H · September 14, 2006, 10:43:53 PM

A few years ago I went out and got set up before there was enough light. I waited under the tree for a while for more light before light before calling. When I thought there was enough, I started in on the Dennis Kirk woodpecker call on that dead calm Dec morning.

I caught movement heading my way about 100 yards in front of me coming up the flat area I was facing. Well, due to what turned out to be not enough light, perception was screwed, and that 100 yards turned out to be 20.

The click of the safety going off scared the coyote off, which was so close I heard every paw thump the ground as he turned and ran the other way. I was just a few feet from getting plowed into and didn't know it till afer the fact.

That is my one of very few first light experiences. The majority are blank stands. 8 AM through 10 AM have proven to be better times for me. If I have a planed hunt with someone I still get out there early to maximize time, but the first couple stands rarely put out for whatever reason.

If you want to know about sundown...now we're talking efficiency.

Brad

centerfire_223 · September 15, 2006, 04:55:35 AM

I have to agree with Brad, the first stand for me hasn't ever done much. I can only remember one coyote that has been called in on the daybreak stand.

Normally I let the sun get up a little bit because I have seen a lot of coyotes while I was walking into my stand. If I had of went any earlier those coyotes would have been out of there and I never would have new it.

I am not much of an afternoon hunter, just seems I have way to much going on to get a chance to go then. But my success ratio is better in the afternoons. Seems like I would be making time to go then.

fuzz624 · September 15, 2006, 07:25:00 AM

I have not been hunting coyotes verry long.I started last winter and killed 2.Both were in the late afternoon.Both of them were within 1 hour of sunset.I have never relly tried midday until just recently.JD already knows how that turned out.I work 3rd shift and figured that you had to be on stand before sunrise and hunt till 10:00 or 11:00.So i have never relly tried hunting in the mourning.Now thanks to you guys i know i can leave work at 7:00 and go get some hunting in.I been hunting deer since i was 12 years old and for some odd reason i figured you had to hunt coyotes the same way.I guess i was wrong.Sometimes its nice to be wrong.

Greenside · September 15, 2006, 01:37:56 PM

I don't remember to many times that I've actually walked in to a stand in the "dark". Most of the time I'll hang out at the truck until dawn or until I'm confident that I can see what I want. I'd rather walk fast in the light than slow in the dark.

If I know I'm going to be dealing with a rising sun in my face or eyes, I get out in a hurry and start calling almost immediately. If there's a quick comer I might even see some muzzle flash.

Greenside

Bob D · September 15, 2006, 02:33:03 PM

We mostly morning hunt and are always on the stand before daylight. We have had a good many coyotes come in after first light. Alot of the places we hunt are open rolling pastures with a head of woods here and there. you better be in place before light cause you can be seen afar.
Bob

Jrbhunter · September 15, 2006, 02:36:02 PM

Depends on my access to the place. If I have to walk across an open field or at least make myself obvious- I will wait until the sun is up. Not because I think the coyotes run for cover as the sun peaks out... but at least I can snipe off any coyote already mousing in the field. I have run them off and called them back in a handful of times, low percentage game, just depends on how well they make you out and if they got to cross your scent cone on the way out of town. Probably less than 25% of the coyotes I runoff will come back to the call.

If access isn't easily concealed I'll slip in and start calling with the first available shooting light. Daybreak setups can be very productive (As compared to later stands) but it requires a little modification to the old stand selection. Coyotes love those low-light situations- they'll respond differently at daybreak than they will at 11a.m. Same with dusk.

We took some awesome footage last night of a coyote mousing a hayfield right at dark. I spooked him off once, called him back in and he managed to forget about us again and continue mousing. The attention span of a coyote is, like many other things, often exaggerated in the eyes of predator callers. After all, it is just a coyote.

vvarmitr · September 16, 2006, 09:21:32 AM

That really encourages me JD. I work swing shift & well I just don't always get that "first light time" , plus like Jim I gotta crap, & etc, etc.

I've heard Brent say this too & I've heard you two say that when you go, you go all day. So to me, you have a better handle on the situation.

canine · September 16, 2006, 12:29:29 PM

Vvarmitr. That is exactly why i wanted to bring up this subject. Many guy's i gather feel that if there not out at first light that there chances dwindle. I too at one time would quit hunting at noon or so and go back out at 3:30 till dark, makes me whonder how many coyotes i missed chances at. Years ago i would hunt all day with the right conditions: snot freezing in your nose cold and snow on the ground

Those still are my favorite conditions to hunt in

i guess because the game i'm after moves so much better, wether it's coyotes or deer.

Another point to it also was that we like to be able to view the fields for mousin coyotes before we make our approach to the stand location.

Jim, remind me not to hunt with you in the bitter cold

that pr-mature stuff scares meeee

JD

Greenside · September 16, 2006, 05:51:58 PM

One of the things I think quite a few callers overlook, especially some of the newbies, is how hard coytoe can be to see or spot under low light conditions. IMHO it can cost you coyote if you start calling before you really have good light. And in some cases good light might not happen until way after sunrise when the shadows disappear

Greenside

Rich Higgins · September 16, 2006, 07:57:50 PM

First light, before sunrise is my highest confidence stand.

FinsnFur · September 16, 2006, 11:38:52 PM

Ahhhhhhh c'mon Rich

we aint....I say we aint lettin ya off that easy. Elaborate a little bit.

Rich Higgins · September 17, 2006, 11:21:40 AM

:biggrin:OK, Jim.
I believe that pressured coyotes, certainly those that I have hunted, become primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. A coyote owns the night, his comfort levels are high and he will travel and spend time in areas that you will never see him during daylight. During the light transition time just before sunrise they are still about and their comfort levels are still relatively high. They will approach a call with more enthusiasm on that first stand than later when you have to drag them out of cover or out of bed. If I had to bet on a certain response to any stand of the day I would put my money on that first one.

vvarmitr · September 17, 2006, 08:09:10 PM

Quote from: Rich Higgins on September 17, 2006, 11:21:40 AM
I believe that pressured coyotes, certainly those that I have hunted, become primarily crepuscular and nocturnal.

crepuscular - active at twilight or just before sunrise.

Boy, that one sent my digging for the dictionary. That Rich is one fart smeller ... er I mean ... smart feller.

FinsnFur · September 17, 2006, 08:29:47 PM

Yeah, I gotta get the spell checker re-wired so we can cast it back on someone elses post like that.

That makes perfect sense Rich, and if you wouldn't have thrown in the that "If you had to bet on a certain response to any stand of the day" part, I would have asked what about the traveling time. There's obviously times they feel best changing alert levels and travel time.
But you covered your sixes well